'I raced with my heart' - Annemiek van Vleuten defeated on Col du Tourmalet

Annemiek van Vleuten on the Col du Tourmalet at the Tour de France Femmes
Annemiek van Vleuten on the Col du Tourmalet at the Tour de France Femmes (Image credit: Getty Images)

Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) ignited the Queen Stage with the first surge over the Col d'Aspin, drawing out her main rival Demi Vollering (SD Worx), but as the race progressed, she struggled to keep pace and was eventually distanced and then defeated on the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. 

Vollering reached the finish line of the iconic ascent with a commanding stage 7 victory and moved into the yellow jersey, while Van Vleuten finished third behind Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM). 

Kirsten Frattini
Deputy Editor

Kirsten Frattini is the Deputy Editor of Cyclingnews, overseeing the global racing content plan.

Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science. She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races, reporting on the WorldTour, Spring Classics, Tours de France, World Championships and Olympic Games.

She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006. In 2018, Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy, race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023.